Delving into this Globe's Spookiest Forest: Twisted Trees, Flying Saucers and Eerie Tales in Romania's Legendary Region.

"Locals dub this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states an experienced guide, his breath creating clouds of mist in the cold dusk atmosphere. "So many visitors have gone missing here, many believe it's a portal to a different realm." This expert is leading a visitor on a evening stroll through what is often described as the globe's spookiest woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of ancient native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

A Long History of the Unexplained

Accounts of bizarre occurrences here extend back hundreds of years – this woodland is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the long ago, along with two hundred animals. But Hoia-Baciu achieved worldwide fame in 1968, when a defense worker named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a unidentified flying object floating above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Many came in here and vanished without trace. But no need to fear," he continues, facing the traveler with a grin. "Our excursions have a perfect safety record."

In the time after, Hoia-Baciu has brought in meditation experts, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and ghost hunters from worldwide, curious to experience the strange energies believed to resonate through the forest.

Modern Threats

Despite being among the planet's leading pilgrimage sites for paranormal enthusiasts, this woodland is under threat. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – an innovative digital cluster of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the tech capital of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are campaigning for authorization to cut down the woods to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area containing locally rare specific tree species, the forest is without conservation status, but Marius believes that the organization he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, encouraging the authorities to acknowledge the forest's value as a visitor destination.

Eerie Encounters

When small sticks and seasonal debris split and rustle beneath their boots, Marius describes various folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here.

• One famous story describes a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, later to reappear five years later with complete amnesia of the events, having not aged a single day, her clothes without the tiniest bit of soil.
• More common reports explain cellphones and camera equipment unexpectedly failing on stepping into the forest.
• Emotional responses vary from full-blown dread to moments of euphoria.
• Various visitors report seeing bizarre skin irritations on their skin, hearing ghostly voices through the trees, or sense hands grabbing them, although certain nobody is nearby.

Scientific Investigations

Although numerous of the stories may be unverifiable, numerous elements before my eyes that is certainly unusual. Everywhere you look are trees whose trunks are curved and contorted into bizarre configurations.

Different theories have been proposed to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have altered the growth, or typically increased radiation levels in the soil account for their unusual development.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Legendary Opening

Marius's walks allow guests to engage in a modest investigation of their own. As we approach the clearing in the woods where Barnea took his renowned UFO pictures, he hands the traveler an EMF meter which measures EMF readings.

"We're entering the most powerful area of the forest," he states. "See what you can find."

The trees immediately cease as we emerge into a flawless round. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath their shoes; it's apparent that it's naturally occurring, and looks that this strange clearing is wild, not the result of landscaping.

Between Reality and Imagination

This part of Romania is a place which inspires creativity, where the line is indistinct between fact and folklore. In countryside villages superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, form-changing creatures, who emerge from tombs to haunt nearby villages.

The famous author's renowned vampire Count Dracula is permanently linked with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – an ancient structure perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains – is heavily promoted as "the vampire's home".

But even folklore-rich Transylvania – literally, "the place beyond the forest" – feels tangible and comprehensible in contrast to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for factors nuclear, climatic or simply folkloric, a center for creative energy.

"Within this forest," Marius says, "the line between fact and fiction is very thin."